


Red To Blue(A cliffcee fanfic)

by BeefThisFreshMeat



Category: TFP, Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Angst, Cliffjumper and Arcee flashbacks, F/M, Flashbacks, Grieving, Mourning, Post Cliffjumper death, Starscream gets bullied a lot, Starscream is a bitch like usual, Violence, arcee has multiple nightmares depicting violence, moderate gore, on Earth, slight gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 14:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15511524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeefThisFreshMeat/pseuds/BeefThisFreshMeat
Summary: TFP Universe / After cliffjumpers death / Season 1: Arcee has been mourning the loss of her conjunx endura, Cliffjumper, since she's watched his severed body fall to the pits of Unicron. She's never gotten over how she had to watch purple ooze dripping from his internal organ system as he fell below. The others worry about Arcee, not even her human companion Jack can seem to calm down her rage at the death of her one and only. She snaps one day and goes out for a drive without telling anyone, however when she comes to find herself injures with no working comlink, she braces for death until a rather unlikely help comes to her aid.





	1. I made a mistake, Cliff.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find this story on my Wattpad and Quotev

This was useless, Arcee confirmed, he was never going to come back. There was no possible way, she remembered how his body fell to the depths below and clattered with a sickening thud. She could remember every detail of his broken faceplate, the way his optics glowed a sick purple purple while violet ooze slipped from every crack of his armor. The most haunting thing was his screech, his terrible hiss of agony, the way he tried to lunge at her. 

The very thought made her gestation chambers drop, she felt sick, a disgusting taste coated her glossa as she gulped down a lump that had formed in her throat. She crossed her arms while she glared from where she stood in the main room. Nothing seemed to appease her wrath on this day. Jack cautiously gazed to her from where he stood, he felt as if he couldn't even try to speak to the two wheeler. 

While Bulkhead was out bashing sand dunes with his human companion Miko, and Bumblebee was learning about earth from his human friend Raf, Jack couldn't even enjoy time with Arcee. The air was so thick he swore he could reach out and grab a handful. The only sound in the room was Ratchets incisive typing from the monitor. "Hey, Arcee?" his voice pried as he turned his head up to gaze to her. The sudden voice in the dead silence brought Arcee out of her trance, her optics fluttered for a moment before she turned to Jack and delivered a quick "What?" , she did not mean for it to be so gruff, it was not her intention to bicker at the young boy. 

Jack winced at the sudden snap, which he looked up at her and tensed. Arcee could see the sudden tension in his shoulders, which she uncrossed her arms and mumbled a small "Sorry," before she turned back to him "What is it, Jack?" she asked in a much more low tone now. "You seem out of it today, do you want to talk about it?" he investigated while he hoped she would not be too upset with him being a little nosy. Well, more over he was worried, to see Arcee this distracted was unusual. Although typically silent, she was always focused. 

Arcee nodded her helm "Yeah,I'm fine." She stubbornly replied, she was not going to open up to Jack. That she was certain about. He wouldn't understand, how could he? He was an adolescent human, tiny and naive to the problem she had. "Are you sure, because you seem so-" Arcee interrupted Jack by turning to him with a glare in her optics, her biolights dimmed down to an aggressive state while she bared her dentas in a snarl. Jack immediately perked up and stood straight while he shot his hands up to gesture a 'calm down' pose. Arcee once more spoke "I'm fine Jack, whatever is going on with me is not your concern." she added.

Seeing the rather scared look in Jack's eyes, it snapped Arcee out of her aggressive and rather rude state as she blinked her optics. "Scrap." She mumbled to herself, which she then stood straight and walked off. Peds clicking against the floor. "Arcee , what are you doing?" Jack asked. Ratchet himself perked up "Where do you think you're going?" Grumbled the doctor impatiently, Arcee turned to both of them "I need some air, I'm only going for a drive, I'll com you if anything bad happens. Ratchet, open a ground bridge to Okefenokee Swamp, I want to drive around there." Ratchet groaned hearing this, "Fine." he knew there was no use in arguing, Arcee was always careful anyway. Plus maybe it was best she leave the base for now. 

With a quick jerk of his servo, the ground bridge activated. The swirling vortex of green and blue lights flared invitingly , beckoning Arcee to go ahead and enter. Arcee took in a deep ventilation, her chassis rose for a moment before she ducked down and transformed to her alt-mode. She sped forward, tires squealing as she hastily drove forward in to the portal. It snapped shut , swallowing her in it's lights as she disappeared from sight.

Jack looked up at Ratchet, "Are you sure that's the best idea?" he asked, Ratchet nodded his helm. "Arcee only stays out there for an hour or two, maybe three, she goes there whenever she has too much on her mind anyway. It's best to let her clear out her helm." he turned to Jack "and you , I believe, should just sit down and wait. It's best not to pry when she's like this." Jack could not help but to frown, he could not help the sinking pit of worry hitting his stomach. "I hope she will be alright." he muttered before sitting down on the couch. 

Arcee drove forward carefully, a swamp was a thick dense mass of vines and leaves near a large bog. It was one of her favorite spots for one thing, the feeling of closure, even when Cliff jumper was alive she would be greeted to having him and only him follow him here. Here where the trees could hide them both away and prevent anyone from seeing them. Besides, no one came too far in to the swamp in fear of being lost. Her tires stopped when the mud became too thick to drive through, so she stood to her peds once transforming to bipedal mode. 

She trudged forward, ducking from heavy tree branches that swung low and moving vines that hung right at her faceplate. She let out a relieved sigh, this was a place she knew she could relax. The only thing that could sound out through this thick bog was the sound of birds chirping and the occasional hiss of a reptile here and there. 

She finally came to the grove, a clear circular spot where trees aligned perfectly. Making this a nice place to rest for someone like Arcee, she sat down and leaned against one of the trees. Her body pressed against the trunk as her peds sunk in to the damp floor, her body felt at ease for once.This was a spot that made her feel warm, she remembered when her and Cliff would sit here. He would chat away the day, telling her stories that were long and usually very comedic in his point of view, he would hold her servo, kiss her lip components, and when she grew tired he would let her sleep to her sparks content.

"I miss you." She spoke to herself, no one else in particular because there was no one else she could possibly speak too. It was only herself, only her by her lonesome. She held her arms within her servos gently, closing her optics, she wanted to believe Cliffjumper was not dead. She wanted to believe that Cliffjumper was alive and well, but the sad truth came to light when she was greeted to the cold air once more. Cliffjumper was dead. There was no denying it.

Arcee ran her servos down the course of her chassis, digits tracing the seams and dancing over armor, feeling it and remembering the fact that Cliff's spark was dead beside her own. Her optics were closed tightly. She bit the inside of her bottom lip and let out a shuddered sigh. The silence was not interrupted by birds this time, infact, there was no sound at all. Arcee immediately found this odd, it was dead silent now. She perked up, and her optics wandered from place to place, wondering why it was a silence so eerie it made her pause. She took in a deep breath, looking from place to place. Usually, birds only shut up if something scared them, so what gives?

Arcee had no time to react, there was a small whistle that came through the air, she jerked her helm up only to be greeted with a sudden rough impact in her side. She let out a yell as the stinging sensation of pain swept over her stomach plating. She looked down, realizing she was leaking energon, she had been hit by blaster fire. Her optics shot open and wide as she tried to stand, tried so desperately to activate her blaster, however another swift blow was delivered. With a loud 'BANG!' resounding through the swamps thick air. Arcee felt herself stumbling back, her peds landing in to the mud of the bog's shore. Another loud 'BANG!' came to her audio receptors as the stinging of sensation was delivered once more. She was hit a third, and a final time, her optics began to flutter close while her vision was blurry. She could only make out two blurry figures, purple, but they both seemed to watch as her body lurched backward. 

Her body fell in to the swamp's bog, sinking down in to the thick mass of water, she closed her optics as darkness consumed her body, the only thing she could feel was the water stinging against her open wounds, and the feeling of fear penetrating her spark.


	2. I’m as dead as you are now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcee wakes up after the previous chapters events and finds herself in trouble and finds someone else in the same situation as she is in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find this story on my wattpad and quotev.

There was a small moment of panic settling through her body, all she could feel was a disgusting gunky sensation against her frame, Arcee swore it felt like she had fallen in to a large oil pit back on Cybertron. She felt disgusting, there was a sick feeling in her mouth enough to make her feel positively grotesque, as her optics slowly opened all she was met with was a sickly green color. She opened her mouth, only for a gunky mouthful of water to suddenly rush right inside of her oral cavity. She gagged, her body immediately flailed and jerked, realizing where she was. In the middle of a disgusting bog water. To make matters worse she felt a stinging pain in her side and immediately began to draw herself upward. 

The pain came from her side, only now did she realize a gaping gash had claimed the side of her stomach plating and already began to leak energon in to the murky waters depths.

Her servos clawing at the water in a desperate manner before finally her helm emerged from the water. She spit out whatever bit of the swamp had gotten in her mouth and gagged with a loud "Augh!" escaping her throat. Looking around, she was greeted with the dark veil of night. The moon's light barely peaking through the top canopy of leaves. Her optics fluttered a bit, she wasted no more time in this mess as she swam all the way to shore, her servos grasping at the mushy ground and digging in to the wet soil. Dirtying the silver metal while her body lugged forward and fell face first in to the soft ground with a 'squelch' coming from her weight falling on the mass. She felt even more gross, feeling nothing but wet dirt stain her once clean blue armor.

"So much for a relaxing getaway." Arcee whispered to herself, her arms trembled trying to support her weight. Elbow joints nearly popping out of place until she managed to beach herself against the ground. Huffing while she did so, she desperately rose her servo up to press against her audio receptor, pushing against her comlink. "Arcee to base, I need-" she was cut off with a sharp "Ah!" feeling a sudden shock of electricity course through her helm. She shook her head violently, feeling numb. Only now realizing her comlink had gotten damage. Whether it was from the blast or the prolonged hours in dirty water, it didn't matter, all that mattered was that she was quite literally stranded. 

"Damn." She flicked her optics to the ground, realizing she had been laying in this mush of mud for far too long, so she struggled up to her peds with low grunts and groans falling from her lips. She reached one of her servos down to the gaping wound upon her torso, in a desperate and foolish attempt to try and close it with her digits despite knowing this would do no good. The other servo pressing against the large trunk of a tree and balancing her wounded frame against the body of bark. She gazed around, all she could hear was the sound of crickets and various types of birds. Other than that, she was all alone.

"Where are those little pieces of scrap that had the nerve to- Ugh- attack me?" She snarled between grit dentas, her optics narrowed to a malicious glare while she took a shaky step forward. "What do I do? Just sit around and wait, hope that they find me?" she questioned herself. She rubbed the top of her chassis a bit, feeling her spark ache and pain with regret. If only she hadn't barged through everyone and left, maybe she should have confided in Jack instead of getting angry, maybe she should have... just gotten over Cliffjumper. "Oh.. Cliff." she bowed her servo in to her helm and struggled for a moment. "I'm as dead as you are now." she whimpered in to her palm. If she had forgotten the anniversary of Cliffjumper's death, she wouldn't be in this situation. If she had forgotten him, she wouldn't be in this mess. Her spark sank as soon as she thought of that, but if Cliffjumper were here, surely he would know what to do-

"Stop thinking about him." Arcee interrupted herself, "You're about to die from bleeding out, try to find some way out. No doubt with the fact I haven't called in or returned, they're going to send a search party for me." She nodded, yeah.. that was a good plan. Just hold off, relax, avoid any cons remaining, and hope she didn't bleed out by sunrise. 

That was far easier said than done. 

Arcee was startled as the sound of a sudden 'THUMP' rang through her audio receptors, her body whipped around whilst she turned on her heel to face the source of the noise. A grove of burly and twisted trees blocked her view from whoever- or whatever- made that noise. Her optics widened to the size of moons basically while she pressed her lips down tightly in a line. A shiver ran through her metal and made her energon feel ice cold in her body. Her frame trembled before she thrust her arm outward and activated her blaster, her optics narrowed while her lips turned to a sneer. She continued to hear it, rustling, the sound of something moving. Something was alive and moving. She approached the grove of trees. Only now did a soft "E-Erghhh...." enter her audio receptors, someone was no doubt there. She grit her dentas and damn near pounced forward. Servos ripping the branches of the trees apart to reveal who was hiding behind the greenery.

She froze, her optics landing on the body before her while her jaw dropped. Her shoulders tensed and her whole body became incredibly stiff. She opened her mouth to speak, only to struggle to spill out the words. "It's you-!"


	3. How dare you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starscream gets bullied and Arcee is angry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find this story on my Wattpad and Quotev.

Laying among the patch of grass and mud, soaked in energon, lay Starscream. He was releasing ragged breaths, desperately trying to cool his systems while his wings hung low at his back. One optic squinted and nearly closed while the other eyed Arcee from where he laid in a pathetic heap. He released a high-pitched gasp and tried to scramble back, servos clawing at the ground "A-Arcee!?" he cried out, "W...What are you doing here?" He shook himself off of any greenery before giving her a trembling grin. He let out a near nervous chuckle "H...Hello there, Arcee! L-Long time no see, huh?" he spoke in a near timid tone- no.. he was frightened, frightened to see an autobot here. An autobot who hated him no doubt. 

At first, Arcee could only stare, her optics wide and staring down at the mech below her. Her servos began to tremble softly. "Y...You..." the word left her lips in a whisper, before she gnashed and grit her dentas down, lips sneering down while her expression twisted into a glare. "You!" She shouted with immense hatred lacing every word she spoke as if poison coated her glossa. She sprung forward, thrusting her arms outward to grasp on to Starscream's neck while tackling the mech to the ground. Starscream yelped while a strangled grunt escaped his mouth. He gazed up at the blue femme with wide optics "Wait. Wait!" he called out, servos grasping on to her wrist while he shook his helm "Arcee wait-!" he was interrupted by Arcee's sudden outburst.

"You son of a bitch!" She brought her fist up, curling her digits in while her other servo gripped on to his neck cabling. "You shot me down didn't you! Bad enough you killed Cliffjumper, now you're after my spark!?" she hissed. 

"I should snuff your spark right now-" Arcee paused however, only now did she get over her blind rage and notice the many wounds that coated Starscreams frame. She furrowed her brows, lips curling downwards in her thoughts. Starscream let out a sudden pant while he spoke "I was trying to tell you it wasn't me that attacked you! I didn't even know you were here!" he shouted. Arcee backed off a bit, grip loosening while her fist lowered down to the ground. "Then, why are you here?" she asked.

"I was hounded down by Megatron's mutts, two vehicons chased me once Megatron decided he really wanted my head served on a silver platter. They hounded me all the way here." Starscream explained. Arcee's faceplate somewhat scrunched up while she gained a crinkle in her brow, she gave a low sigh. Before getting off of Starscream and turning away. She put a servo to her helm and craned her neck downwards. Staying still with her back to Starscream for a moment or two. 

Starscream slowly and hesitantly sat up, brushing himself off, wincing once or twice when his servo would accidentally knick or brush against one of the many blaster wounds coating his body. "See? I'm not here to harm you, I'm not a cold sparked killer-" Suddenly, with little warning or much of a heads up, Arcee whipped around and let out a yell as her leg swung forward and slammed in to Starscream's chassis. Kicking the mech down while she slammed her ped on to his chassis. "How dare you?" she hissed lowly "How DARE you?" she repeated. "You have no right to say that, not after you are the reason Cliffjumper is dead!" she turned away and held her helm in her servos. Giving a low groan, her wound exhausting her further yet her drain pumping her adrenaline steadily.

"I should," she paused briefly "I should kill you." She turned to Starscream, servo transforming to her blaster whilst aiming it towards his chassis, right above the sparkchamber. "Maybe I'll finally feel better." she added. A near dead look remained in her dimmed optics, eyebrows furrowed down to an angry stance. However her blaster trembled while she held it. Starscream laid against the ground with his servos up, optics wide, body trembling. "Arcee, you're making a mistake." His quivering voice spoke. 

He was silenced almost instantly as the tip of Arcee's blaster pressed to his forehelm, hitting the metal with a small 'clink' coming from contact. Arcee shook her helm slowly, movements steady. She activated her blaster, the weapon making a loud 'whirr' while glowing, preparing to blast the seeker below her. She sneered down at him. "No... I don't think I am."


	4. It will be alright.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special guest star arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Body horror and gore in this chapter.

"Wake up, hey." A soft voice called out "Wake up, come on, you can't sleep in all day!" The voice sounded so far away, yet so close, almost as if echoing in Arcee's audio receptors. A soft groan left her lips, making her optics slowly flutter open. She gazed upwards, optics somewhat flashing while she shook the grogginess away. She was greeted by a warm smile, and a kind faceplate. 

"Cliffjumper?" Arcee whined, her spark skipped a beat in her chassis and the warm sensation swarmed her body quicker than a swarm of scraplets could. What was happening? Where was she? She gazed around, feeling disbelief, here Cliffjumper was. Right in front of her, face to face, so close she could reach out and touch the red metal he bore. She tensed visibly for a moment, before relaxing.

Oh, that's right, this must be a dream. Hot tears sprung against her optics while she rest her fore helm against his shoulder plating. "You're not real." she spoke lowly, however she felt pure shock within her cold spark when the feeling of strong arms wrapped around her smaller frame. "What do you mean Arcee?" Cliffjumper laughed half-heartedly "You freak me out sometimes, ya know?" he joked with a snort. 

This must be real, she realized, the way he feels was too warm. The familiar sensation of being held and loved by her conjunx was all too real. She wrapped her arms around his neck, "This is real." Cliffjumper added, his words hitting her audio receptor. That's right.. this was real. She just fell asleep after a long day of training, Bulkhead had patrol today, Bumblebee was scouting for more energon, Ratchet was dealing with repairs- and Optimus was working with Agent Fowler about reports and field tactics. It was all real. "I was worried." she whispered "I feel like I was having a horrible dream. You know that stiletto healed freak , Starscream? I dreamt he killed you." She spoke, soon laughing after her words. "It was such a long dream." she shook her head for a moment. 

"That creep? As if! He can never get close to me, I'd beat him before he could!" Cliffjumper replied almost too confidently while he gave her a wide grin, pulling away from their hug, gazing down at her. He saw her sad expression never changed, she gazed up at him with a wide frown, and weary optics. His grin faded, before he forced it back on his lips and shook his helm. "Hey, it's gonna be alright, okay? Everything will be alright." he rubbed his digit against her cheek plating, making her lean into his touch. She closed her optics slowly, letting the darkness consume her while she relaxed her body entirely. "You know how you can make it all okay?" Cliffjumper asked, "Hm?" Arcee muttered, refusing to open her optics. 

"Bring me his head."

Arcee's optics shot wide open, her body tensed as her shoulders somewhat became narrow. "....What?" She asked slowly, her optics gazing back to his faceplate. His grin was gone, his brows furrowed forward, optics somewhat squinted. "Bring me his head, it will all be alright, if you bring me his head." He grasped her small wrists, servos crushing the joints in his massive hands. She cried out, trying to withdraw, she grew tense when she gazed back at him. His faceplate began to crack, shift, deform, his lips tore by the sides. Optics black as coal while a gunky purple fluid slid from the corners and rolled down the broken gray metal. The left horn on top of his helm fell off and on to the bed, a sudden low rumble fell from his throat before he cried out with the sudden gush of tainted energon forcing it's way from his bowels and staining his lips further, some of it even splattered on to Arcee's frail body, making her cry out in disgust. The feeling was grotesque, the mucky fluid staining her body and burning her metal.Making smoke come from each contact, she shook her body violently, "No," she started "No!" She grit her denta. "Just bring me his head, he killed me, so it's only fair. Just bring me his head." Cliffjumper's gargled and distorted voice came through, hitting her audio receptors and making her body tremble. No, this wasn't real. This wasn't real! "Get off!" She suddenly swung her leg forward, kicking him right into his vulnerable torso. 

There was a sickening click. 

His body slid back, disconnecting from his hip joint, the top of his body hit the ground with a loud 'THUD!' followed by his waist hitting the ground, his body now in twos while his servos still gripped onto Arcee's wrists. His servos had been severed from the joint and continued to attach to her arms. She laid back, heaving, chassis rising and falling with every ventilation. 

It isn't real.

Snapping out of the illusion of her day dream, Arcee only now realized the situation she had gotten herself in. Starscream lay down before her, trembling, preparing for his demise. His optics were closed and his body was tense, it was like he accepted his fate. She snarled at him, a low growl similar to a beast came from her lips before her gun suddenly felt as heavy as a rock. Her arm sunk, lower and lower, before finally falling down right at her side. She deactivated her blaster, and turned her helm away while gazing to the ground. "Get up." she demanded.

Starscream opened one optic, gazing up at her hesitantly while he gripped his servos for a moment. "What?" he questioned "Weren't you going to-" "I said get up! Hurry, before I change my mind." she barked, he yelped at the sudden order, her tone was demanding, not asking. He scrambled to his peds, too injured to retaliate. Had he truly had enough energy, he would have used his speed to fly off, or to finish Arcee himself. However with the amount of wounds he had, and the energon he had lost, he wasn't going to tempt a pissed off Two-Wheeler. Not when she had a grudge like that settled on her shoulders towards him. 

"Put your wrists forward." She demanded, he did as he was told as he didn't want her rage to grow any further than it needed. He slowly held out his arms, Arcee grabbed them and held them together. Grasping one of his digits and with a mighty tug yanked it backwards, there was a loud POP from his index digit. Making him cry out in pain , knees trembling while he realized she broke the gear that allowed his digit to move, it hung limp against his servo. Making him whine. "I'll take that as payment." Arcee spoke "Payment for me saving your aft, if you pull anymore scrap around me I will break off the entire servo. You hear me?" she said.

"Y-Yes." Starscream whimpered lowly, a small grunt falling from his mouth while his optics glared up at the femme. "Now, you're coming with me." Arcee said, turning around and beginning to walk forward. Dragging the flier by his arm, "W-What for?" Starscream asked. "You're wounded, I'm wounded, strength in numbers. Plus if your little flying friends see us, they'll want you more than me. You're both protection and bait." She was blunt with every word she spoke, as if not caring if the seeker had a say in this or not. She turned to him, a glare still evident on her face. "If you run I will shoot your kneecap."


	5. You can’t be serious.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starscream gets bullied more

Yelling as his knees gave out yet again, Starscream found himself dropped against the disgusting and soggy grass. The hill they were trying to climb was far too slippery from the swamps mushy ground. Why were they even doing this!? Was this torture? He thought to himself, and all he could think of was how she was doing so simply to torture him. “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t rest, we need to get to the top of this hill.” Arcee stated as she was far ahead from him, her heels worked well to dig into the swamp marsh, but not enough to get stuck like Starscream stilettos did. “Is this punishment?”

Starscream called out to her, “We’re both injured, we shoudn’t be wasting fuel like this! Not to mention that there is no reason to climb this hill in the first place!” Arcee moved, and with her heels digging into the ground, she walked down the marsh with ease, her knees somewhat bent to give herself more balance before she looked down at him, now a foot away, with her hands upon her waist as she sneered “Surely you’re not that dumb. Higher ground means less greenery to block our signal, it’s our best bet. If Prime can locate my signal, him and Ratchet will no doubt give me a bridge and I can get out of here.” “And me?” Arcee narrowed her optics at this and spoke “You’ll wait until your own team saves you, unless you want to come back as my prisoner.”She crossed her arms, and Starscream gulped. “No, no, this is fine..” He sighed. “Can’t you have mercy on me? You broke my poor digit, you can’t truly expect me to scale this hill!” “You have your two feet in tact, you can walk. Stop complaining.” “Then let me remain by your side? Then we can scale it together!” Arcee grunted, and this made Starscream flinch.

She turned to leave and return to scaling the marsh, however that was when she perked up and turned to him “Oh, but since you insist on sticking by my side...” She lifted her ped that was muddy at the tip, and suddenly swung it forward to kick Starscream deadin the chassis. He yelped, and fell backward, rolling and becoming stained in mud and grass blades before landing at the bottom with a thump. It didn’t hurt due to the mud, but it was quite the annoyance, and he realized what this meant. He would have to scale the hill all over again! He could hear the sound of Arcees hills sliding down the mud, and looked up to see her at his side again “If you insist on me staying by your side, then we’ll stay by each other’s side as we climb this hill all over again.” Starscream shook at the knees, this femme would surely kill him! 

 

The travel upward was tedious, and exhausting, Starscream realized as long as he shut up then he would remain safe from her wrath. “You’re so pathetic.” She would say to him, and in her tone he could hear nothing but malice. He wondered how long until she finally snapped, and slaughtered him. He felt frightened, yet did not a thing. It took them a good hour, for humans it surely would have been longer, now here they sat at the top of the hill , huddled around a fairly small fire that Arcee had created with the use of her energon-blasters. There they sat, the two alone and silent, not a word spoken. 

Arcee looked tired, she began to doze off, swaying in place with the beat of the wind before her optics closed slowly, until she shook herself awake. “If you need to sleep, I could keep watch-“ he was once more greeted by the sight of her glare “As if I would trust to sleep around you.” she snarled, huddling closer to the fire. “Was the fire necessary?” Starscream asked “Our biology indeed keeps us well and warm if we keep our engines going.” “Waste of fuel, besides.. the fire is nice.” Arcees voice remained strict, and cold. It was colder than the wind around them. 

Silence fell between the two yet again, before Starscream spoke “I understand you hate me-“ “Hate is an understatement.,” she interrupted “Well, yes, as I was saying. I understand you hate me.. and believe me.. I understand your pain as well.”

This caught Arcees attention, and she turned her helm upward to once more glare at him “What do you mean?” She asked, her voice dangerously close to becoming sharper than daggers. “I mean I understand your pain very well, the pain of losing someone. Believe me... I understand it all too well.” Arcee stared at him, before she muttered in a voice so soft it almost seemed wrong to have left her lips “You can’t be serious...”


	6. Pathetic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starscream reveals

The wind howled like a mourning ghost, the trees shook with a vigorous fear, trembling like children being scolded, the moon the only thing that seemed to be a savior from the total eclipse of the dark. The very air was thick, so thick you could grasp it, tense silence followed with nothing but the cries of the terrified sky. Arcee sat there with her optics narrowed in with a glare so deep it could cut stone. Starscream never quite liked to look at Arcee's faceplate, not to say she was a hideous femme, but for the sole fact her optics felt like fire burning him and ridiculing him. It felt as if she was judging him, waiting for him to mess up, waiting for him to set his guard down and when he did she would pounce like a terrorcon and slash his throat, relish in his energon, rip out out his spark. 

He hated her optics the most, oh how he loathed them. He dared not to look at her judging glare, for he knew if he did he would freeze like a deer in headlights and become victim to fear for what she could do. The silence became annoying, as signaled by Arcee's sudden "Spit it out!" she stood to her peds, and with a snarl she rose her fist "You dare to compare your pain to mine, then refuse to say scrap? If you're going to say something, say it!" she demanded, she took a step that was so frightening it caused Starscream to jump back and throw his servos upwards. "Alright, alright!" he coughed out in his startled panic.

Like a dog pleased with praise, Arcee stood back, pleased with the fear in Starscreams optics. It was then Starscream met her gaze, and seemed to grow immensely frightened. The look in her optics seemed to be the same as a corpse, the light long lost and dead from her gaze, her lips pressed firmly into a line only proved Starscreams fears. No matter what, he believed she would be the end of him one day. "I'll tell you." Starscream gazed away, no longer wanting to face those damned optics. 

"It was quite long ago, so long ago dare I say some memories are fuzzy to me, but I remember two faces so well it burns my processor." With that sentence his helm bowed downwards and his shoulders slumped.

"Skywarp and Thundercracker, my brothers you could say." His tone dropped like a rock sinking into a lake "They were apart of my seeker armada. My brothers in arms. We did everything with the other, and if one was in pain, the other surely was too. Although you could say I took that for granted, many fights with Skywarp, many insults towards Thundercracker." he shook his helm "What was once playful fun turned into sour bickering within my processor, now that I think of it, we weren't the kindest to one another. Even then.. I know we would be there for one another when trouble did indeed appear." A small intake of air followed, and suddenly Starscream fell silent, the silence remained for a click or two but nothing more.

"You had a family?" Arcee muttered while she glanced away "Hm, I never would have guessed." She rest her chin onto her servos "So.. why aren't they here now?" she asked. Starscream seemed to grow bothered, before he grunted and turned away. He grit his dentas for a moment, and his optics flared to life. A burning anger seemed to overtake his body entirely, as parts of his metal shook. "Megatron." he gripped the ground "He found out Thundercracker wasn't too loyal to the decepticons after all. Shot him down in an instant." He turned to face Arcee, not looking her in the optics, yet gazing at the brow of her forehelm, or even the curve of her lips, anything but her optics. "Skywarp didn't take it well, he attacked Megatron, and followed Thundercrackers steps." He bowed his helm "The person who had to take out their bodies to the smelting pit was.. me." He avoided Arcee's gaze, he must look pathetic. 

He was a pathetic mess, he knew that, he must look like a cowering dog being kicked over and over again. Like he lost his leash, and was lost out in the rain with no master to run too with his tail between his legs. What a sick sight, even he wanted to throw up from how absolutely disgusting he must seem. "They're dead, I am all that remain. Why? Because after seeing what Megatron could do to my brothers in arms, you think I could stand a chance? I want to over throw him not just because I would be far better, but because in a way.. I owe it to them." Starscream turned to face the sky, and took in a deep breath "Are you enjoying this? Seeing how utterly.. so.." he shook his helm "Pathetic." he nodded "That's the right word, how utterly pathetic I am right now? Go on and relish the sight." he turned to face Arcee, and met her blank gaze. She stared at him, blank faceplate while her lips pressed down into a line. No expression on her as if she was a blank canvas. 

As Starscream expected, she didn't quite care, she probably thought of him weak now. He turned away and closed his eyes. "So go on... laugh if you wish-"

 

Shink 

The sound of a sheathing blade snapped Starscream into reality, he turned his head to face her and noticed the blades activated on her arms yet again, the look of absolute death written across her faceplate while her lips curled downwards in a ferocious sneer unlike any other. She looked like a feral animal about to strike, and she was running right at him. An absolutely terrifying yell from her lips as she sprinted towards him as if there was nothing more she wanted than his head on a silver platter. "Arcee- Arcee no!" Starscream put his servos up, and with closed optics, braced for the impact.


	7. Thank you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcee is tired

Starscream knew that he was dead, he knew it,he could feel the blade hit his neck cables and sever his entire head clean from his shoulders. His optics closed tightly waiting for the impact. Waiting to be killed, he paused, and stopped when he heard a thud. That had to be it, a limb of his, his wing, or anything at all! She probably cut something off from his body! He awaited for the pain to come and destroy his senses, cause him to writhe in total agony and fall to the floor like a pathetic worm, but nothing came.

He opened his optics slowly, and realized he was alive and well with no injuries on his body. He glanced behind him to see the body of a vehicon covered in energon from a slash across the neck cabling, the head basically severed from the body’s hold as it was attached by a single cable at this point. He didn’t even realize a vehicon had snuck up behind him, blaster out, no doubt trying to ambush both he and Arcee. He turned back around to face the femme before him, Arcee stared at him with cruel optics that were blank and cold, deactivating her energon-soaked blades while she crossed her arms. She patiently watched him, as if awaiting for something.

”When did that Vehicon-“ “Say thank you.” he was interrupted by Arcee’s harsh tone “W..What?” “I said say thank you, I saved your life when I could have let you die, after all, a bot for a bot.” She glared towards him “So say thank you.” Starscream was shocked at the amount of hatred in Arcees tone. No concern, no ‘are you alright?’, no anything.. just this seering burn from words sharp as blades. Starscream came to realize just how much she hated him, just how much she truly was holding back. If she wanted however, she could have let that vehicon slaughter him. He would have been dead. If she hated him so much, why did she spare him? 

“T...Th—“ His words caught in his throat, and as soon as they did, he noticed the glare in her optics. He quickly perked up, and with his doorwings lowered, he stuttered “Thank you, Arcee.” That was enough to make Arcee turn away, and sit down “I should have let that Vehicon fry you.” Was all she muttered “Then again I’d still be guilty..” “So why didn’t you?” Starscream asked, his fingers tracing his neck cabling “You could have let it do whatever and went on your way. You could have gotten revenge for Cliffjumper.” Arcee snapped “Don’t mention his name, ever.” She stated “Not from your filthy mouth.” “See! You hate me so much, so why not have let him kill me?” 

“Because the truth is, that’s not what Cliffjumper would have wanted-“ she closed her optics tightly “The real Cliffjumper... at least.” She spoke recalling the pain of an awful dream from not too long ago. “So don’t think he was like you, he wouldn’t have wanted revenge. He wasn’t as petty as me.” Arcee admitted her own fault, she was so angry, so very hungry for revenge it was on her mind constantly, affecting her in ways she didn’t notice until it was too late. She pinched the brow of her optic ridge and took in a heavy ventilation, steam expelling from the sides of her engine due to the built up heat from utter exhaustion. “It’s not what he would have wanted, he wouldn’t want me to bring him your head.” Silence fell between the two, nothing but the sound of the earth’s bugs chirping and the wind howling. She closed her optics, and leaned back, letting the fire warm her frame. “Go to sleep. I’ll... I’ll keep watch.” She sighed, Starscream was startled as for once he didn’t see hate in her optics but instead utter despair. True, utter, despair. This was the faceplate of a defeated femme, and he contributed to it. 

 

“How do i know you won’t do anything while I sleep-?” “I won’t do scrap to you, now recharge before I decide that you’re better off as vehicon bait.” There was that tone he recognized, however it seemed as if she was trying too hard to be cruel to him, it seemed she was too tired. He laid on the floor, the mushy ground, and curled up. Giving Arcee one last glance as he watched the forlorn look on her face become grim, she was remembering something.. but what was she remembering? He didn’t know, he couldn’t think of a thing to say, so with defeat.. he shut down, his optics offlining, and he fell into slumber.


End file.
